US signals openness to Assad staying put

( CNN) The Trump administration doubled down Thursday on prioritizing the fight against ISIS over aiming the Syrian civil campaign and getting rid of its main protagonist, President Bashar al-Assad — a suggestion that was swiftly criticized by hawk on the Hill.

Indicating a possible change in US policy on the campaign in Syria from the working day of the Obama administration, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on a trip to Turkey that the “longer-term status of President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people.”

And in New York, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley was even stronger about the Trump administration’s decision not to push for Assad’s departure. “Our priority is no longer to sit and focus on getting Assad out, ” Haley told wire reporters Thursday, according to AFP.